The benefits of a shared office: Workable, Stratford
If you’re a small business operating in London, the idea of renting office space in the city (and the costs associated with it) may be intimidating. But the office is changing and the less traditional, shared workspaces are popping up across the city. An example of such a workplace is Workable in Stratford. Here are just a few of the benefits that come from joining a shared workspace in London.
Part of a community
If you’re a small business making the jump from being home-based to your first office, you’re more likely to appreciate the benefits of being part of a community. You may find that there are other businesses similar to you in size and facing similar challenges. Being part of this community can often mean sharing the burden of the daily struggles faced by being a business owner. It’s also, sometimes, as simple as having someone to say good morning to, eat lunch with, or brainstorm with; benefits not often enjoyed by the solo, home-worker.
Networking opportunities
Joining a shared workspace in London brings with it a host of networking opportunities – and not just the daily greetings that come from working alongside other businesses. The forward-thinking companies behind many of these workspaces understand entrepreneurship and facilitate specific networking events to help occupiers face the related challenges of owning a business. These networking events might be with other organisations within the neighbouring community or hosted by entrepreneurial resources that can offer help and advice.
Team working
At Workable, we don’t just offer shared workspace to London businesses, we also offer event and meeting space, by the hour. This is particularly useful for those team days when you have a full agenda to cover, and a different space will help to keep you motivated and inspired.
But this doesn’t only benefit those who need a meeting room, it also benefits our occupiers. It encourages collaboration between businesses both large and small; it keeps fresh faces within the spaces; and raises awareness of entrepreneurship and enterprise amongst the largest of companies.
Flexibility
We designed Workable to be flexible, a shared workspace that is open to those who need a hot desk in Stratford, a meeting room for an hour, or fixed office space for a year. This flexibility also means that our occupiers can be agile. If they grow, they can take more space. If they want to keep costs to a minimum, they can adapt to suit their needs from month to month.
Minimal set up
It perhaps goes without saying – but we’ll say it. Joining a shared workspace takes minimum effort. No purchase of furniture is required, or set up of WiFi. Just book your space, grab your laptop and come in.
Prime locations, lower cost
There’s no arguing that some of the best coworking spaces are in prime locations. And for small businesses, many of these locations would be too expensive for a traditional office rental. Shared workspaces in London are bucking this trend. With brands like WeWork setting up in popular locations across London, and with the likes of Workable right here in Stratford, there’s no need for smaller companies to be excluded from business districts any longer.
For a full list of our office packages, take a look at our membership page.